BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Denmark's sovereignty is an "essential issue" for the EU, the European Council President said in an interview on Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to express interest in claiming Greenland for the United States. The Arctic island is a semi-autonomous Danish territory.

In an exclusive interview with Euronews on Wednesday, European Council President António Costa said the territorial integrity of Denmark is an "essential issue" for the European Union. View on euronew

The prime minister does a European tour while announcing more spending on security around the island, following President Trump’s stated desire to have Greenland, a semiautonomous Danish territory, as part of the U.

The US President Donald Trump has been issued with a stern warning that the EU is “ready to defend” Greenland. President Trump believes that the US is “going to have it” and has not ruled out taking Greenland by military force.

A senior European Union military official has suggested that deploying troops to Greenland could curb Donald Trump’s ambitions regarding the territory. Robert Brieger, chairman of the EU Military Committee,